Your Take: Songwriter Spotlight
In yesterday’s News Roundup, Brody linked to an American Songwriter article on Liz Rose, a Nashville songwriter perhaps most famously associated with Taylor Swift.
The interview, titled Liz Rose: Co-writer to the Stars, talked with Rose about some of her peers that have helped her along the way:
“[Publisher] Jody [Williams] talked me into being a writer. I just started writing. I wrote every day, twice a day, three times a day, anybody that wanted to write I would write [with them]. I wrote a lot. And I learned a lot. When I didn’t know what I was doing, people were very patient with me: Stephanie Smith and Pam Rose, Pat McLaughlin—fantastic writers. Because I don’t sing and play, I don’t have a sound per se, where you walk in and I have to write it my way. So I can write with anybody. One of my friends says I have the best career ‘cause I get to write with Taylor Swift and Mary Gauthier.”
We often talk about our favorites songs, artists, albums and bands – but what about the songwriters? Who are your favorites, and what would consider to be their best work?
The article also mentions that non-performing songwriters are somewhat of a rarer breed, citing Rose and Swift, Clint Black and Hayden Nicholas, Garth Brooks and Kim Williams, and Alan Jackson and Jim McBride as examples.
What non-performing songwriters have stuck out to you?
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May 1, 2010 at 8:39 am
What non-performing songwriters have stuck out to you?
Both Harlan Howard and Hank Cochran issued a few albums but rarely toured or performed live except at songwriter showcases
note to quibblers – yes I know Hank performed with the late Eddie Cochran (no relation) as the “Cochran Brothers” but after that mostly not
Doodle Owens
Dallas Frazier
Whitey Safer
Sonny Throckmorton
were mostly non-performers
May 1, 2010 at 9:04 am
songwriters? Who are your favorites, and what would you consider to be their best work?
Gary Burr – In front of the Alamo
Skip Ewing – It Wasn’t His Child
Matraca Berg – Hey Cinderella
Hugh Prestwood – The Song Remembers When
Pat Alger – Unanswered Prayers
Tony Arata – The Dance
Gretchen Peters – On a Bus to St. Cloud
Don Schlitz – Forever and Ever Amen
Gary Nicholson – Trouble With the Truth
I believe that all of these writers have made cds and do perform occasionally but generally at small venues.
May 1, 2010 at 11:05 am
Pam Bunch and Vicky McGeehee are two others that I know of who aren’t performing songwriters. They just write with anyone. Of course the most famous of all of these writers is Bernie Taupin who often ‘just’ mailed words to Elton, who turned them into the songs they became.
As for songwrtiers I love,
Many of Bob’s are some of the best and I’d add
Chuck Cannon – “We Were In Love,” may Toby Keith’s best hits (But check out Cannon’s “God Shaped Hole” record).
Marcus Hummon – “Bless The Broken Road”
Billy Yates – “Choices”
Jamie O’Hara – “50,000 Names” “Man To Man”
May 1, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Aimee Mayo is my favorite country music songwriter; she’s wrote several of my favorite Sara Evans & Kellie Pickler songs
May 1, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Matt mentioned Chuck Cannon. One of my favorite songs of his, “That’s How You Know When You’re in Love” was written with his wife Lari White and a hit for her in 1994. She’s still a great singer and does benefit shows for the YMCA almost every month at the Bluebird.
May 1, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Lotta great older songwriters, like Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz, Skip Ewing, Bob DiPiero, Mac Macnally were all great. Right now, I love what I call the “Houseboat Clique” of Brett and Jimmy Beavers, Deric Ruttan, Eric Church and Dierks Bentley (along with Chris Thorsteinson and Dave Wasilyw from Canada). Also, the tandem of Houser and Jamey Johnson has always had a cool vibe with their material. Bobby Pinson, Anthony Smith, Jeffrey Steele.
Man, there’s some great writers in Nashville.
May 1, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Matraca Berg is my favorite. Here are a few she wrote
XXX’s and OOO’s – Trisha Yearwood
Wrong Side of Memphis- Trisha Yearwood
Strawberry WIne- Deana Carter
Wild Angels- Martina
If I Fall You’re Going Down with Me- Dixie Chicks
That Train Don’t Run- Pinmonkey
Matraca’s solo career never took off- never understood why. Her albums are good especially
“Sunday Morning to Saturday Night”
May 1, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Jeffrey Steele takes country writing to another level — songs like “These Days,” “What Hurts the Most,” “My Town,” “Gone,” and “My Wish” combine lyrical expression and musicality in a unique way that resonates long after the listening is done. I realize that he does a great performance live, but his genius is in the writing. Check out newer ones like “The Shoebox” (Chris Young) — it’s artistry combined with realism, but always written to stir up an emotion.
May 1, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Great non-performing songwriter was Bob McDill.
He wrote a lot of Don Williams hits, including the epic “Good Old Boys Like Me”
“Those Williams boys they still mean a lot to me…
May 1, 2010 at 9:41 pm
There are very few non-performing songwriters I can think of, unless we grey the edges of what ‘non-performing means’. Within that, Odie Blackman stands out to me. Particularly his work with Jim Lauderdale.
May 2, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Easily the top three for me are:
Bobby Pinson
Matt Warren
Scotty Emerick
Although all three are performing songwriters…so really don’t answer your question! ;-D
May 2, 2010 at 2:57 pm
How about a more recent one – Ashley Gorley? Lots of good songs that have been hits of late, including “You’re Gonna Miss This”. Oh, and also Hillary Lindsey, who has written many great songs this decade …
May 2, 2010 at 4:31 pm
I like Radney Foster (I’m In, Raining on Sunday), Tony Martin (Just to See You Smile, Like It’s a Bad Thing), and, while he is not country nor a non-performer, Bruce Springsteen.
May 2, 2010 at 7:59 pm
I’m going to show my ignorance and admit that I just assumed that all songwriters were performers on some level, if only to put melodies to the lyric. It’s really interesting to hear how the song creating process actually works for the people writing the hits. I would also think that being a non-performing songwriter would mean only writing as part of a team and that would stifle creativity tremendously.
I have too many favorite songwriters to narrow down right now, but most of my favorites seem to be singer/songwriters like Dolly Parton, Rodney Crowell, Dwight Yoakam, etc.
May 2, 2010 at 8:38 pm
I like Radney Foster
He’s definitely not a non-performing songwriter. I’ve got three of his albums.
May 2, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Odie Blackmon
Matt Warren
Craig Wiseman
Chris Wallin
Scotty Emerick
Bobby Pinson
and yeah…Radney Foster…but all of these guys perform on some level!
May 3, 2010 at 12:11 am
If we rephrase this as singer/songwriters who have had more success and notoriety through covers of their songs than their own versions, then my answer is Jim Lauderdale, the King of Americana.
May 3, 2010 at 8:38 am
Bobby Braddock.
May 3, 2010 at 10:19 am
Bobby Braddock, definately!
May 3, 2010 at 10:51 am
Neil Thrasher
Wendell Mobley
Joe Leathers
Karyn Rochelle
Brett James
Radney Foster
May 3, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Felice and Beaudileaux (sp)Bryant, Harlan Howard,Mack Vickery off the top of my head.
May 29, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Kids, you obviously don’t have a clue how greatness in a country songwriter’s work is measured.
Harlan Howard
Jerry Chestnut
Mickey Newbury
Hank Cochran
Bob McDill
That’s five to get you started. Ask somebody over 50 (if there’s any left in Nashville) about each of those.
You probably haven’t heard the great Newbury line, “I do my best writing with a bottle in one hand and a pistol in the other!” Newbury didn’t like performing, stopped early in his career.
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